Protector's Protector
by supergirl3684
Summary: Mac collapses at work due to not taking care of himself. Can he be persuaded to change his ways or is it to late? WARNING: Contains corporal punishment
1. Gut Instint

**PROTECTOR'S PROTECTOR**

_**SUMMARY: ****Mac collapses at work due to not taking care of himself. Can he be persuaded to change his ways or is it to late? WARNING: Contains corporal punishment**_

_**DISCLAIMER: I own neither NCIS or CSI: NY…damn! Oh well…a girl can dream! **_

_**A/N: If you see OOOOOOOO **__**then it is a show change, meaning if I was talking about CSI:NY then after the mark I am talking about NCIS. HOWEVER, if you see **_**OoOoOoOo**_** then it is a scene change for whatever characters I'm on. I hope it makes more sense once you start reading but if it doesn't you know the drill…drop me a line. **_

_**A/N2: Some of you wanted to see another 'dad' get himself upended. (Hence my Hotch crossover Fics and my Rossi Fic) I hope you like! **_

**OoOoOoOo**

PROLOGUE:

"How is he?" The man's voice was filled with worry.

"He's going to be fine," His friend soothed, "The doctor say he's over worked."

The man frowned, "You said he'd pulled a triple?"

The woman nodded, "Oh Gunny, he's been awful lately. He's only getting a couple hours of sleep a night if that. He won't eat unless I nag and then he gets upset and…"

"Claire…" The man's voice was stern.

"You know him Gunny," Claire Taylor protested the man's thoughts, "He leaves and then comes back and apologizes, eats some more, and gets a little bit of sleep. I know that case of his has been driving him to distraction…I just never realized…."

"Don't blame yourself," The Gunny stood firm, "You know as well as I do Mac Taylor can hide what he's feeling and thinking better than most. If anything I should have called…"

"Gunny," A hollow voice sounded, "What are you doing here?"

"What do you think," Came the 'duh' sounding answer, "You gave your wife quite a scare you know."

"I just need a little sleep," The man replied, "I'll be fine in a couple of hours."

"I don't think so," The response was firm. "You're going to stay in that bed until you're released."

"I just need a little sleep," Was the refute, "And maybe something to eat. Hi sweetheart."

"You scared me," Claire held her husband's hand; "The doctor said you're exhausted and dehydrated. They want to keep you for observation for at least one night."

"I'm fine," Her husband smiled, "I'll sleep better in my own bed. Besides," The man spoke over his wife's protest, "I have to be in work early tomorrow."

"Work is what caused this," His wife hissed, "If you hadn't been…"

"Claire," The Marine spoke from his spot where he'd tried to allow the couple some privacy.

"You know its true Gunny," Claire glared at their friend. "I'm going to get a cup of coffee. I'll grab you some."

The man gave a nod of thanks.

As she left the room her husband called out, "Get me my release forms!"

Claire turned to look back into the room from her spot in the hallway. She glared at her husband before looking over at the man visiting. Seeing a quick shake of the head she gave a short nod before disappearing.

"Gunny," Mac whined, though he'd protest that he'd done so till his death. He did _not_ want to stay in the hospital any longer then he had to.

"Mac Taylor," The Gunnery Sergeants voice sounded and he was pissed. "You are going to stay in that bed until you're released and then you are going to follow your doctor's order to the letter."

"I'm not an invalid," Mac snapped back, "And I'm not in the Marine Corp so you can't order me around; not that you could before." It wasn't until the words were out of his mouth before he realized that he'd just made a fatal error. "I…I didn't…"

"You collapsed in your apartment. You're wife called me scared to death," The man's voice was low, "So you're going to do what you have to do to get better. So help me Taylor, you keep acting like a child or you ever land yourself in the hospital because, like a child, you can't take care of yourself and I will have you over my knee so fast you won't remember your own name; got it?"

"Got it," Mac answered, burrowing down in his hospital bed, knowing, from experience, that the man before him was not joking.

**OoOoOoOo**

Mac Taylor sat in his office glaring at the twelve case files before him. Twelve…the number never seemed to go down no matter how hard he worked. And he did work hard.

Okay, so maybe it wasn't completely the case files fault. Maybe it was that he just couldn't sleep. Sleep…a word he had no use for. He knew everyone was getting worried about him. He knew it was starting to show. There was nothing he could do though…not since that day.

September 11…the day he, along with the rest of the world, would never forget no matter how he tried. Like many others, he had a deeper connection with that date. It was the day he lost his better half. It was the day his world started to crumble. It was the day he stopped sleeping.

Not completely, not at first. He'd awoken with nightmares of Claire calling out to him for help, pleading with him to save her. Slowly the nightmares diminished and when Claire was finally declared dead he'd mourned, allowing his sleep to once again become interrupted.

Somewhere in the course of time his pile of four files had raised…first to five, then six, then nine, and now finally twelve.

The final case, a dead child, who no one had come to claim, had been the final straw. His sleep was now close to none existent. He started t consider himself lucky if he managed a full twelve hours of sleep a week; his average was only seven hours a week.

He knew Claire would be disappointed that he wasn't taking care of himself. Hell, she would have whacked him upside the head by now…or demanded a vacation…or called the Gunny.

That thought caused him to shiver. 'Maybe I should lie down,' He thought to himself as he started for autopsy. Realizing that he was in fact, ready to drop, he finally agreed to himself to catch a nap on the ME's cot after dropping whatever he got from the man off where it needed to be.

"Hey Mac," A woman's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Stella," Mac gave her a questioning look.

"Just got a call about body in an apartment on 42nd," She explained, eyeing the man before her, "I thought I'd catch it. Danny's about done with the current case."

"I can get it," The man started to wave her off.

"I got it Mac. Besides," Stella put a steady hand out, "You don't look so good. Are you alright?"

"Fine," He answered.

"You should lie down," She suggested, a friendly smile on her face.

"I will," Mac promised. As Stella nodded her head and left he took a deep breath. He only had to make it a couple more days and then he'd be able to go home for a day off...and sleep…maybe.

_**OOOOOOOO**_

Leroy Jethro Gibbs woke sitting straight up. There was something wrong but he didn't know what. A glance at his clock let him know it was late in the morning or at least late for him as it was only 6 o'clock.

He took a quick shower and made a cup of coffee before the over whelming sense of something being off forced him to pick up his phone and dial an all too familiar number.

"'Ello," A drowsy voice picked up the phone.

"It's me," Gibbs never had reason to identify himself.

"Gibbs," Abby whined, "It's too early. I just went to bed."

"It's six-thirty Abby," Gibbs admonished gently, "Why didn't you go to bed sooner?"

"I stayed up watching movies," The female Goth yawned wide, "I started to fall asleep a couple hours ago but I wanted to finish the movie that was on." Another yawn followed the explanation. "Is everything ok boss man?"

"Yeah Abs," Gibbs calmed himself, "Just wanted to check in; good night."

"Night Gibbs," Abby hung up.

Gibbs hung up on his end and frowned. If Abby was ok, then why was he still feeling that something was off. He dialed a second number.

"I thought we had the day off," The whine greeted him.

"We do," Gibbs replied with a roll of the eyes, "I just wanted to check in."

"I'm fine Gibbs," Tony replied, having been through this once before. "I fell asleep around two which is when Abby finally let me hang up after she got scared by some movie. She watched it while I watched a Bond movie." Tony yawned and tried to keep himself awake. "I'm assuming you called her already. Did you try Ducky Boss?"

"Go back to bed DiNozzo," Gibbs ordered.

"On it Boss," Tony managed to get out before the phone slipped out of his relaxed hand.

Gibbs chuckled and hung up. He'd been expecting it to be Tony that was in some sort of trouble. The first time he'd had a bad feeling had been the first time Tony had gotten sick. The man hadn't wanted to bother anyone and when Gibbs had found out he'd brought Ducky over and then stayed with him for the three days it took for him to get better.

Speaking of which, Gibbs didn't feel bad dialing the third number he knew by heart. It only took two short rings for the man to pick up.

"Hello, my dear boy," Ducky grinned knowing of only one person who would call him that early in the morning. "What can I do for you?"

"Hi Duck," Gibbs grinned, "Just wanted to check in."

"Oh well," Ducky started, "Everything's fine here Jethro. I'm assuming you've called the other two?"

"Just got off the phone with DiNozzo," The lead agent agreed. "Abby stayed up all night again."

"To be young again," The ME sighed, "Would you like to come over for a cup of tea? Mother should be in bed for at least another hour."

"Give me ten," Gibbs agreed before hanging up.

As he grabbed his keys he couldn't help but stop and look around. While he was glad his team was alright he still couldn't shake the thought that something was wrong. Only time would tell what, Gibbs could only hope whatever it was, he wasn't too late.

_TBC…_


	2. Boss Down

_**A/N: So, it was brought to my attention that there is no McGee or Ziva or even Kate. Allow me to explain, it was late when I started writing this and for what ever known reason my muse decided to make this PRE - SERIES NCIS! As for CSI:NY I'd actually just finished watching what I believe was the 1st ever episode of the show and in it Stella asks Mac if he slept to which Mac responds: "What is sleep?" **_

_**This story is my muses response to that line. I hope you like! **_

_**OoOoOoOo  
**_

"We caught four more cases already," Mac Taylor stood in front of his small staff. "Stella if you'll take the one at Central Park, I'll start Danny on the body in Grand Central, and I'll take the body in Time Square…"

"On it," Stella agreed standing.

"I'll grab my case," Danny stood also, taking his leave when noticed the pointed look Stella was giving him.

"Still haven't slept," It was a statement of observation and not a question.

"I tried," Mac rebuffed, "I'll get tired eventually."

"You should lie down when you get back from the crime scene," Stella knew there was no way she could talk the man into taking the day off.

"I'll be fine," The man led the way out of his office.

**OoOoOoOo**

It was almost four hours later when an exhausted Mac finally managed to stumble towards the elevators. The current ME had allowed him to cat nap on the cot in a dark corner just yesterday. In fact that ME, only slightly older then Danny and Flack, had told Mac that he should come back today if he needed….he needed.

The man couldn't help but try to crack his neck, feeling a strain that was starting to hurt. He couldn't help but shake a bad feeling from his bones. His stomach had been in knots for days, making eating impossible.

"Have you been to the doctors?" A voice cut through his thoughts yet again.

"I'm going to lie down," He promised the female stepping into the elevator beside him.

"Right," She intoned, "You need to see a doctor."

"I'm fine," Mac pressed, motioning her to lead them out of the elevator.

"Fine but don't say I didn't tell you," Stella wasn't happy with her boss's response.

"I won't," The words cut through a yawn.

"Mac…" Stella started, realizing something was wrong with her boss, "Mac?"

Mac swayed on his feet, his world started to spin. He closed his eyes tight, trying to fight off the sensation to pass out to no vial.

Stella did her best to keep the man upright as she yelled, "HAWKES!"

Mac was barely aware of a voice calling out to him as he sank to the ground, slipping into unawareness.

**OoOoOoOo**

"…year old Caucasian male," The ME walked beside the gurney, "No known allergies, no complaints of head or chest pain. He's sustained no injuries that we know of…"

Stella didn't stop to listen to what else Hawkes was saying as she raced up the stairs after finding that elevator was taking too long to get to her level.

"Stella," Danny and Flack raced to her.

"They're taking him to NYU Hospital," She explained, "I need to find out who, if anyone, is his emergency contact."

"Is it bad?" Danny asked nervously.

"I don't know," Stella admitted, "Get the car, I'll meet you downstairs."

With quick nods they dispersed only to meet up again in the car ten minutes later. With sirens blaring they made their way to the hospital where their ME, Sheldon Hawkes, stood waiting for them.

"How is he?" Flack got out first.

"Stable for now," The slightly older man replied, "The doctors are running scans but physically he shows no signs of something being wrong. They want an emergency number just in case."

"I got it," Stella held up a slip of paper, "Tell them I'm calling it now. I just hope it's still good."

Hawkes nodded his head before going to the front desk to talk to the nurse in charge. Danny and Flack stared at each other before going to secure the four of them seats close to the entrance to wait for news of the man who led them all.

_**OoOoOoOo**_

"You ever thought of hiring someone else boss?" A young man asked an older.

"You carry everything so well DiNozzo," The older man responded with a smirk, "Why bother?"

"Funny boss, funny," Tony DiNozzo rolled his eyes though he watched the older man carefully.

Ever since the day before when he'd been woke up shortly after six in the morning something had been off about the man he called boss.

Gibbs for his part tried not to let on that he knew he was being watched. He hadn't been able to get rid of the feeling of something being off. It had gotten worse as the day before had progressed, so much so that he talked his current ME, Ducky, to call the other two members of his team and get them to come over for an impromptu cook out.

As the night died down Abby had fallen asleep against a sleeping Tony on the couch; Gibbs had carried her to his guest bedroom before waking Tony up to change and lie down in his own room.

Gibbs had followed Ducky home as it was late by the time the ME had been talked into leaving for the night.

The next morning the trio had woken up, gotten dressed, and driven to work together. Gibbs had insisted on walking Abby to her lab leaving her and Tony bewildered. Ducky had talked to the lead agent but hadn't been given any real answers because, as Gibbs told him, he wasn't sure what was going on.

Now, later in the day he felt his infamous gut acting up. Something was definitely wrong but he just didn't know what.

"Boss…" Tony looked over at him worriedly.

Gibbs looked up at him with a small shake of his head, "Let's get the room processed."

**OoOoOoOo**

It was two long hours later when Tony was finally in Abby's lab, "I'm telling you Abs, something is up with him. He didn't smack me once."

Abby's mouth closed on her retort, "Did you give movie references?" A nod answered the question. "Did you ask stupid questions?" Another nod in answer. "Did you…"

"Abby," Tony protested, "I tried it all. He never said a word and he looks worried."

"You knows Gibbs gut," Abby gave a small smile, "It's never been wrong yet."

"I guess," Tony wasn't convinced. He gave the Goth girl a shrug of the shoulders, "I better get back. Gibbs has a conference at MTAC and gave me twenty minutes to get back."

"Or…" Abby grinned in question.

Tony rolled his eyes, "He was going to come looking for me."

He left the lab with the woman's laughter ringing in his ears. When he got to his desk he gave his boss a nod, showing that nothing was wrong, and got busy finishing his paper work.

_**OoOoOoOo**_

Tony kept an eye on the door that his boss had disappeared into almost an hour before. He couldn't help but feel selfishly pleased that whatever was going on was holding the man's attention.

Over the course of the past few years of working with the former Marine, Tony knew exactly how intense the man could be. However, nothing prepared him for this new level of intenseness. The man was every bit an overbearing, overprotective parent; more so then he'd ever been.

The sound of the phone ringing pulled the agent from his thoughts, "NCIS, Special Agent DiNozzo speaking."

"I need to speak to a Jethro Gibbs," A woman's voice responded.

"_Agent_ Gibbs isn't at his desk," Tony answered, "Can I help you or maybe take a message?"

"No," The voice cracked, "My name is Stella Bonasera and I'm with the New York Crime Lab. I need to speak with Agent Gibbs; it's an emergency."

"Agent Gibbs is in important conference Miss Bonasera," The Senior Agent replied, "I can't just walk in and interrupt because you say it's an emergency. He can be out either in seconds or hours so you can either give me an idea of what this emergency is about or you can hold."

On the other end the woman thought about the logic of the statement before giving in, "He's the emergency contact for my boss who's in the hospital. Please…tell him it concerns Mac Taylor, he'll understand."

"Hold on," Tony pressed a button putting the woman on hold before getting up from his seat and starting up the stairs.

The young man was happy to find his boss coming out of the MTAC office talking to the Director of NCIS.

"Can I help you Agent DiNozzo?" The director asked, surprised to find the agent standing a few feet away looking anxious.

"I'm sorry sir," Tony grinned shyly before turning to the man he was looking for, "Gibbs, there's a Stella Bonasera on line one. She said to tell you that it concerns Mac Taylor…."

Before he could finish Gibbs eye's had widen and he ran down the stairs.

_**OoOoOoOo**_

Stella waited on the other line anxiously. Hawkes had joined Danny and Flack in the waiting room, his gaze falling on her as he gave a small shake of the head.

'Please hurry' she begged silently as she paced the width of the hall.

It seemed like hours before a gruff voice came on the line, "Who is this?"

"Detective Stella Bonasera, CSI in New York," She felt a sense of relief, "Is this Jethro Gibbs?"

"Where's Mac?" Gibbs could barely hold back the tremor that wanted to make its self known. As he waited for the reply he found himself doing something he hadn't done in a long time…praying. 'Please not him too…'

"He's in the hospital," Stella answered, calming her shaky nerves, "He passed out at work a little while ago and was rushed to the NYU Hospital. The doctors are running tests now. You should come down sir."

"It'll take me a few hours but I'm on my way," Gibbs hung up.

Stella gave a sigh of relief as she joined the rest of her team, "He's coming."

The group nodded in understanding before each of them drifted into their own worlds. For now they could do nothing but wait.

_TBC…_


	3. History Lesson

_**A/N: Sorry for the delay! The chapter ended up WAY longer then anticipated so I decided to make this a 4 chapter story! I hope no one minds! **_

_**OoOoOoOo  
**_

It was just a few minutes over three hours since Stella had hung up with the NCIS Agent. Her knees bopped up and down, in perfect synch with Danny's. Flack had taken to pacing the hallway. Only Hawkes seemed calmed; he sat, with a magazine, calmly waiting, only getting up to check with the nurse to find out where in the work-up process Mac was.

Stella looked at her watch for what had to be the twentieth time when a person fairly flew in.

"Mac Taylor," The man spoke, calm yet forceful. He let out a growl when the nurse told him to wait a moment and then turned her back to him. A voice from behind stopped him from snapping.

"Agent Gibbs…" The woman's voice was strained.

Gibbs turned, "Detective Bonasera?"

"Sorry to meet you this way," Stella shook his hand, leading him to where Mac's group sat in waiting.

Gibbs looked her over and could tell instantly she was not one to mess with. The way she held her head let him know that she wasn't one to be walked over.

Stella's voice broke through his thoughts, "This is Detective Don Flack, CSI Danny Messer, and Dr. Sheldon Hawkes, ME."

Gibbs looked the young men over with a critical eye. It was obvious that Flack had risen to Detective at a young age; the determination in his eyes reminded him of Tony. Though he was obviously worried, Danny's eyes held a glint of mischief that Gibbs also associated with his Senior Agent. Hawkes was young, yet he looked older than the other two and there was a fire in his eyes that Gibbs recognized as one saw in his own ME.

"Doctor huh," Gibbs looked the man up and down, "You Mac's doctor or you just an ME?"

"I've looked Mac over once or twice," Hawkes admitted, "He doesn't like doctors though."

"Consider yourself hired," Gibbs responded, turning to face the new person who came up behind him.

"Mr. Gibbs, if you'll follow me," The nurse smiled gently as she noticed the rest of the group looks at her speculatively, "I'm sorry but we can only have one at a time and the doctor would like to speak to Mr. Gibbs."

"Dr. Hawkes is coming with me," Gibbs announced, his eyes showing he wouldn't take no for an answer, "He's Mac's doctor. I trust him."

The nurse hesitated, "Of course sir."

Hawkes raised an eyebrow but said nothing as he followed the NCIS Agent behind the doors that the rest of the team couldn't enter.

_**OoOoOoOo**_

"What do you think?" Gibbs asked, staring down at the man who was still unconscious on the hospital bed. They were waiting for the doctor who was waiting on the results from the last test they'd given the patient.

"Exhaustion," Hawkes gave a simple answer, "His file shows he's about ten pounds under weight which considering he was on the lower weight scale for his height isn't a good thing, he's dehydrated, and his body is showing every sign of sleep deprivation. I would talk to Stella but I know since yesterday, I've only seen him sleep for an hour and even then…it was sleep for five minutes and wake for five minutes."

Gibbs nodded his head, looking down at the man with a glower, "Damn it Mac why didn't you call me?"

Hawkes pretended he didn't hear the comment, knowing it wasn't intended for his ears. He pulled a chair closer to the bed and beckoned for Gibbs to sit down.

"How long have you known Mac?" The ME went to stand on the other side of the bed, enabling him to see out the door and window of the room.

"We were in the Marines together," Gibbs surprised himself by answering the question as he sat down. "Why are you an ME?"

"I lost a patient," Hawkes admitted quietly, "The hospital said it was something I did and I was too busy questioning myself to disagree. The ME found that it wasn't my fault but something she was on. I decided I hospital work wasn't for me and here I am."

Gibbs nodded in understanding, glad that the man had seen fit to be honest and not hedge on the whys of things. He looked the man over again, wondering if he was going to complain about the way he was abruptly 'hired' to be Mac's personal physician. As if reading his mind, the man spoke.

"As I said before I've looked Mac over a couple times after cases," Hawkes met Gibbs eyes, "I've even looked over the other three. Mac trusts me enough to listen but I doubt he'd trust me enough to come to me for something as simple as a cold. I'm still a licensed physician so I can prescribe meds. If you want me to be his _personal_ physician I require a few things."

"I'm listening," Gibbs stated.

"Mac must come to me," Hawkes folded his arms, "I don't care how you get him to do it but I will not shove myself on him." Gibbs nodded his agreement and Hawkes continued, "I will only talk to you with Mac's approval. I assume I'll get it for a little while but if at any point he takes the approval back, I won't say a word to you."

"And if he tells you not to tell me that he got shot?" Gibbs questioned.

"If he's unconscious, you're his emergency contact," Hawkes noted, "I suggest you change that to next of kin. Otherwise there are three more people in the waiting room who would love to help. My last condition is this: you get Mac to listen to me. I'm not talking about all the time; I'm talking about at major points such as this. As his doctor I want to put him on an eating and sleeping regimen that I will oversee; however, it's your responsibility that he listens to me."

Before Gibbs could answer the ER doctor walked in, "Can't say it's good to see you again Gunny."

Gibbs eyes narrowed, "Dr. Ellison; didn't think you'd still be here."

"Officially I'm a surgeon, I belong on the fourth floor," The Doctor smiled, "I was asked to come down because my name was on a patient's file from five years back and well…here I am."

"You know each other?" The ME couldn't stop the question from coming out.

The doctor jumped slightly, "I was the doctor on Taylor's case five years ago when this happened last time. I was called to see if I had any suspicions as to what could be going on."

"Same as last time," The NCIS agent didn't mince words as he brought the conversation back on track.

"Times ten," Ellison agreed, "He's on his third IV. We've found no head trauma. He's out right now because well, A, he's exhausted, and B, he became highly agitated during our last test and since we'd already confirmed there was no head trauma I had them administer a _light_ sedative. He's mostly sleeping under his own power at the moment."

"What's the treatment plan?" Hawkes asked, allowing the doctor in him to take charge.

"I'm sorry, you are…?" Ellison looked him up and down.

It was Gibbs who answered, "Mac's personal doctor. I asked him to join us."

"Right," The surgeon relaxed, "The plan is the same as last time. We'll keep him here for a couple days; make sure there's no lasting damage. We'll keep him on an IV so we can keep fluids in him. Gunny, with you here, I'm sure you can talk him into taking something light to help him sleep if he needs it." Seeing Gibbs nod the doctor continued. "His blood pressure is up but that could be due to the strain on his body so we'll…you'll, have to keep an eye on that. He has a slight fever, just a few points above normal, so we gave him something for that. We also gave him an antibiotic as a precautionary measure."

As the doctor finished up he noticed the Gunny was looking, not at him, but at the other doctor in the room so he did the same. Hawkes was nodding and looking thoughtful.

"I'd like to see his other file," The man admitted before turning to the visiting agent, "Dr. Ellison is doing everything he can. I want to see the file to simply look it over so I have an idea of what I'm looking at. I agree with the treatment plan though."

Gibbs nodded his head, "Thank you Dr. Ellison."

"He's gonna be fine Gunny," Ellison assured the man, "I'll check on you all later."

"Thank you," Hawkes watched the man leave the room before settling back in his spot.

_**OoOoOoOo**_

Hawked waited twenty minutes before mentioning that someone should go out and tell the group what was going on. Gibbs let him go, not budging from his spot.

As Hawkes walked back in, Gibbs was holding the still sleeping man's hand, "You were in the Marine's together?"

Gibbs nodded, not letting go, "He was a Second Lieutenant, fresh out of Officer Training. I was a seasoned Gunnery Sergeant."

"Hard to think of Mac like that," Hawkes responded to the silence. "What was he like?"

Gibbs hesitated. This wasn't something he'd ever shared. In fact, he knew that Mac had shared with only one person; his wife. Gibbs was tempted to just keep quiet but seeing that the other man seemed to care less about getting an answer and looking truly interested and not just being nosey he didn't see the harm.

"He was new." Gibbs chuckled. "He thought he knew everything like all new officers. He was made to be a Marine; I thought for sure he'd be a lifer. I was his Gunnery Sergeant for about three months." The only sound from the other man was the rustling sound of his getting comfortable against a wall. Gibbs waited before continuing, "He messed up and I had nothing to lose. I knew the Captain in charge of Mac. Hell, I'd been the man's Gunny for two years so I knew how he dealt with screw ups. I also knew Mac wouldn't handle it well. Every Marine handles things differently and Mac already felt bad since a man had gotten hurt; nothing major but hurt none the less. I knew the Captain's anger wouldn't help him so I took the blame."

"You what," Hawkes couldn't help himself. He glanced between the two friends in shock.

"I was his Gunnery Sergeant. I should've been paying attention," Gibbs shook his head in memory, "Everyone knew it wasn't really my fault. I can only do so much but I took the heat. Mac felt worse which my intention wasn't but…I transferred out a month later and retired from the Corp a year and half later."

"And you two kept in touch?" Came the question for clarification.

"I had a family at one point," Gibbs voice hardened, "He came when he heard that they'd died. Then he came when he heard I was leaving the Marines. Then he came when he heard I had made Senior Agent at NCIS. It was my turn to go when I heard about the bombing at the barracks and when he got married. We stayed in touch. Claire called me when this happened last time. We lost touch shortly after 9/11. We were both too busy."

Hawkes slipped out without a word, understanding the man needed some time. He wondered briefly why the man had told him everything. He was about to head to the waiting room when a voice called him back in.

"As his doctor you need to know what I told you," The man read his mind. "You'll understand why after awhile."

Hawkes nodded, "The rest want to see him."

"Give me a few minutes," Gibbs answered.

Hawkes nodded again as he went to the waiting room. He told them to wait ten minutes and then they could go back one at a time. It was all he said as he waited to see what the day would bring.

_TBC…_


	4. Mac's Lesson

_**A/N: Sorry for the delay! I've gotten bogged down with homework and my hours are changing at school; that's not to mention the wedding plans and the major house cleaning I've been doing! I'm tired! Seriously, it's 3:47 AM and this is the first free time I've had in awhile so…here it is! The last part: **_

_**OoOoOoOo **_

After seeing the agitation of those in the waiting room Hawkes decided it was better to have them visit after Mac had been settled into his own room. He had gotten a lot of argument but there was nothing they could do. The ME had kept that fact that Mac wouldn't be getting his own room until he woke to himself. 'Some things are better left unsaid' he mused to himself.

It was for that reason that the only ones in the room for the past two hours had been himself and the NCIS agent. He'd just started for his third cup of coffee when he heard stirring behind him.

"Doc," Gibbs turned his focus to his friend as he ordered, "Open your eyes Mackenna."

Hawkes appeared at his side in an instant, echoing the order, "Mac, open your eyes for me."

Gibbs stepped to the other side to allow the ME to do…well…whatever it was a doctor did. He watched at the younger man expertly got Mac to open his eyes.

"Mac, do you know where you are?" Hawkes voice was soothing to other man's pounding head.

Mac looked around and grimaced, "The hospital."

"Afraid so," The ME agreed as he brought a light out to look at his boss's pupils. "Do you remember what happened?"

"I was dizzy," Mac closed his eyes forcing the man to turn the pen light off, "I remember talking to Stella and nothing."

"You passed out Detective Taylor," Dr. Ellison walked in, nodding to the other two, "Scared your partner, ME, and you even got the Gunny to make an appearance."

"Gunny…" Mac's voice trailed off as he saw the man who had moved into the shadows of the room. 'Oh crap,' he fretted to himself. He opened his mouth to say something but changed his mind. Sometimes it was safer to stay silent.

After a quick once over Ellison smiled, "We're going to keep you for observation for a night or two. You'll be moved to a private room in about ten minutes. Do you have any questions?"

Mac shook his head while Gibbs gave the doctor a nod of thanks. Hawkes walked into the hallway to talk to the man. The two remaining didn't talk.

"An orderly is coming," Hawkes walked back in ten minutes later, "I'm going to have the others start upstairs. Gibbs, if it's ok, I think we should let them in right away; they're anxious and I don't think I can hold them back much longer."

"Fine," Gibbs gave a one word answer.

_**OoOoOoOo**_

Minutes after he managed to situate himself comfortably on the bed, two bodies fairly fly into the room.

"Mac!" Twin voices called out.

"Don, Danny," Mac greeted trying to seem better then he actually felt. He gave them a soft smile, "What are you doing here?"

"We've been waiting to see you," Flack answered, a hint of 'duh' in his voice that made the visiting agent smirk.

An eyebrow rose, "How long have you been here?"

"Since you came in," Danny supplied, his eyes showing his thoughts, "We were worried."

"I'm fine," Mac gave a smile, "You need to go home and sleep. We'll have a busy day tomorrow."

"Mac," Flack and Danny spoke as one again, both ready to protest the thought of their boss coming back to work so soon.

"I think he met to say _you'll_ have a busy day tomorrow," Gibbs interrupted from his corner, "He needs to rest."

The boys nodded their nodded their heads as they started to say good bye. Gibbs watched fascinated. He noticed instantly the connection his friend had with the two young men.

Flack was nodding at whatever his boss was telling him, a calm look finally entering his eyes as he started to laugh; it was obvious that with Flack the relationship was more of a big brother, little brother one than anything else.

Danny on the other head was still fretting. He anxiously straightened Mac's pillow and then blanket, nodding his head at what he was being told by his boss. The fear didn't leave his eyes though it did diminish slightly when Mac poked his stomach gently; as he let out a burst of laughter Gibbs saw instantly the father, son connection.

His anger at his younger friend grew stronger. How Mac could put himself in danger when there were, at the very least, two people who needed him he didn't know. What he did know was this: it would _never_ happen again.

_**OoOoOoOo**_

"It's good to be home," Mac murmured as he allowed his friend to help him inside his apartment.

"I'd imagine," Came the soft response.

The CSI said nothing. He knew that the Gunny was still upset with him. Hell, he'd be upset too if the tables were turned but still…

"I said I was sorry," Mac tried not to snap.

Gibbs shook his head, "Sorry doesn't always make things better."

"Gunny…" The younger man's voice trailed off, "Why is Hawkes here?"

"Your ME is staying with you for awhile," Gibbs sat opposite the CSI, "I have to leave tomorrow which means I can't make sure you're following his…whatever he called it."

"I don't need a babysitter," The words came out angry.

"Could've fooled me," Gibbs stood and nodded to the man in the doorway, "You want to explain what's going to happen?"

Hawkes nodded, taking a seat next to the visiting agent, "Sure thing." He turned to his boss. "Somebody dealing with exhaustion is normally recommended to take a leave of absence from work. Since I know how you feel about that, I figured we could come up with a different plan." He waited until Mac nodded his approval. "Because of the long hours you work I've changed some things around. For one, you need one day off a week. On that day off you will have eight hours of sleep; no more, no less. When you are working a long case you will be required to nap while the tests are running. Even if it means a hot dog from a vendor, you will have three meals with a small snack between lunch and dinner, and a second small snack between dinner and bed."

"I don't eat that much on a normal day," Mac protested.

"You need to gain at least fifteen pounds," He was informed firmly. "I've seen you drink up to a cup of coffee every hour. I'm not going to stop your caffeine intake but I am cutting it down to one cup every three hours."

"Hawkes," Mac started.

"Mac," The ME simply stared, not saying another word.

"I think I know how much coffee I can tolerate," Mac tried to be calm.

"I'm not saying you don't," The younger man refuted, "The more caffeine you put into your system the less sleep you'll get. You're body collapsed on you Mac. You need to sleep and eat. You can't do that if you have that much sugar in your body."

"My system," The Lead CSI tried to keep an indignity squeak out of his voice, "You should see Gunny. I think he bleeds coffee."

"That's enough Mac," The Gunny was firm.

"What," The CSI protested, "I don't need to be told what to do and when to do it." He turned to his doctor, "I'll be fine on my own so you don't need to stay and you don't need to hold my hand."

Hawkes sighed but before he could talk he was interrupted, "Hey doc, why don't you go get some lunch for all of us; you can show Mac what exactly he can and can't eat."

Hawked nodded and took the proffered money, "Remember our deal."

Gibbs nodded his head, he remembered and he would keep his word. By the time the ME came back, Mac Taylor would agree to his staying over to supervise what he ate and when he slept. It would happen, one way or the other.

_**OoOoOoOo**_

As the silence stretched Mac couldn't help but squirm in his seat. He hated the child like feeling he had in the pit of his stomach. He wouldn't give in to this though; he just wouldn't.

Another tense minute passed and with a roll of his eyes the CSI stood and started for his room. If that was the game his Gunny wanted to play that was fine, but he wasn't going to join. He was an adult and as such he could make his own choices.

He looked at his bed and suppressed a sigh. He really was tired though he'd never admit it. As he made his way to the bed he was so deep in his thoughts that it took him a moment to realize that instead of his intended position of laying on his back, ankles crossed, on hand on his stomach, the other arm thrown across his eyes (as was his way when he lay down to rest) he was on his stomach, his upper body on the bed, his lower half over something….or should he say someone.

"I don't know what the hell kind of game your playing at Mackenna Joseph but let me tell you now," Gibbs had snuck up on the man, using his unawareness as leverage to get him over his lap, "That I'm sick and tired of your games."

"What are you talking about?" Mac demanded to know, trying to get himself up right. The fact that he wasn't even causing a strain on the older man let him know just how exhausted he really was. He didn't even let himself think about the fact that he'd just been called by his first and middle name. Surely things weren't that bad.

"What do I mean?" Gibbs pulled his hand up and let it fall with a harsh resounding smack. He continued, "You passed out at work because you weren't sleeping or eating."

"It was one meal and a few hours of sleep," Mac protested trying harder to get out of the predicament he'd gotten himself into as he realized that yes, things were truly that bad.

Gibbs didn't dignify the response with one of his own. He let out a slight growl before sweeping down the Mac's jogging pants, leaving him only in his boxers and began to let the swats fall harder. If Mac wanted to do this the hard way…then the hard way it was.

"Damn it Jethro, I'm not a kid," Mac was finding it harder and harder to keep silent.

"No?" Gibbs scoffed, "You didn't eat." _***SWAT, SWAT***_ "You didn't sleep." _***SWAT, SWAT***_ "The consequences of that were you landed in the hospital." _***SWAT, SWAT***_ "You scared your team." _***SWAT, SWAT***_ "Your ME got hired as your doctor in the matter of seconds." _***SWAT, SWAT***_ "You scared me half to death." _***SWAT, SWAT***_ "And _now_ you want to lie about." _***SWAT, SWAT***_ "Am I missing anything?" _***SWAT, SWAT***_

"Just your mind," Mac managed to ground out. He let out, what he considered to be, an undignified yelp as Gibbs suddenly lowered on knee and raised the other, letting the swats land on the part of the bottom that let Mac know that sitting would be painful for a little while.

"Ok," Mac backtracked, "Jethro, I'm sorry!"

"You better be," Gibbs announced. "Those boys look up to you." _***SWAT, SWAT***_ "Do you realize what would happen to them if something happened to you?" ***SWAT, SWAT, SWAT, SWAT***"Do you realize what Stella went through?" _***SWAT, SWAT, SWAT***_ "Do you know what I went through?" _***SWAT, SWAT, SWAT***_ "It better never happen again Mackenna!" _***SWAT, SWAT***_ "If it does I will take a leave of absence to stay with you while you take a leave of absence." _***SWAT, SWAT***_ "Got it?"

Mac nodded his head, "Got it!"

Gibbs aimed the last of his swats on the fuller part of the backside, he could feel the heat radiating through the boxers and knew he needed to finish fast.

"You are going to let Hawkes stay here." _***SWAT, SWAT***_ "You are going to listen to him." _***SWAT, SWAT***_ "You will do everything he tells you without complaint." _***SWAT, SWAT***_ "You are going to let him call me with updates." _***SWAT, SWAT***_ "If you don't agree to any of this let me know now." _***SWAT, SWAT***_ "Do you agree?"

"Yes," Mac nodded frantically, silent tears pouring down his face, "I-I agree! Stop, Jethro, please!"

Without another word Gibbs stopped his assault on the up turned backside. He gently eased the jogging pants back up and helped the man stand up.

Neither man was big on hugging but sometimes a hug was just needed and so Gibbs pulled him into a tight embrace.

"I'm sorry," Mac worked out through his still silent tears.

"I was terrified Mackenna," Gibbs admitted, "Don't scare me like that again."

Mac said nothing, allowing himself to hug the Gunny tighter for a few moments. His eyes felt heavy as he allowed the other man to guide him onto his bed, laying on his side.

"Go to sleep Mac," Gibbs pulled the covers over his friend's shoulder, "I'll be here when you wake up."

Mac let himself fall asleep. Maybe now, things would get back to normal.

**EPILOGUE: **

Mac woke up two hours after he'd fallen asleep. He'd gone into the kitchen where Gibbs and Hawkes were waiting. He eased into his seat, trying not to show how uncomfortable it was for him to sit on the hard, wooden chairs. With no prompting from his Gunny, Mac apologized to his ME and thanked the younger man for agreeing to stay with him until he got better. Gibbs left an hour later with the promise that he would call often.

For the next three weeks, Hawkes stayed over at Mac's place, making sure the older man slept and ate properly. He kept the NCIS agent up to date of the CSI's progress. It took Mac two months to gain back the ten pounds he lost and the additional five pounds that made Hawkes happy.

Even though he'd suffer through insomnia, Mac learned to at least lie down and let his body relax. Sometimes he'd fall asleep without even realizing it. Always, would Mac remember the consequences of his folly and vowed to _never_ let it happen again.

**THE END**


End file.
